Friday, August 30, 2013

We have been having so much fun with our 'All About Me' theme this week. We made self portraits and introduced the concept of alliteration after reading "A My Name Is". Most of my older sweeties were able to tell me something they liked that started with the same sound as their first name. If not, I would give a couple of suggestions and let them choose. This idea came from Deanna Jump's Literacy and Math Fun With Names unit. I think they are adorable!

We also made rainbow names with ribbon. I wrote the letters in rainbow colors using markers. My little ones then glued the ribbon on the corresponding color letter. This not only turned out to be a great matching activity for my sweeties just learning colors, but added a fun fine motor twist, too.

I know I have said this before, but it is so true! I work with the most amazing people in the world. They offer me love and support each and every day. I came to school to find these beauties waiting for me............just because. I love my co-workers. :)

And last, but not least, I am so looking forward to this three day weekend! Saturday will be the first game of my Tigers football season. We have season tickets and to be honest, the tailgating with good peeps is just as much fun as the game. :) Go Tigers!

What is your Five for Friday? Link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share your week!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

My friend and fellow teacher made this Prezi to go with "The Wheels on the Bus". We are going to use it one day this week after we read the story. You can check out her blog HERE.

We will also make a class book using Deanna Jump's template. She has it available for free on her blog. Click on the picture for your own copy.

I plan on taking pictures of my sweeties and gluing them so it appears they are looking out the window.

Jack Hartmann has a fun version of 'Wheels on the Bus Rap' on his Rhyming to Read CD. My little ones LOVE this version!

I made these bus charts to help me get my sweeties on the right bus home. The first few weeks can be rather hectic as we all learn bus numbers and the order the busses are parked. If you would like a copy to use click HERE or on the picture.I plan on posting pictures of our fun later this week, so be sure to check back!
Thanks for reading! Have a great day. :)

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Thursday was the first day of school for my sweeties. Even though it was a short week with the little ones, I am TIRED! Those babies have lots of energy, plus it takes a little time to get them in the routine. They think they are just coming to play!

I set up my photo booth again to snap a few shots of my own. These little guys crack me up!

We made placemats to use during snack time. I use these mats to help me do quick teaching/assessments while eating. We glue pictures containing information on full name, birthday, colors,& shapes (address and phone number for pre-k only). I had my pre-k afternoon students cut their pieces apart, but because my morning little ones are only three and I wasn't sure how much practice they had with scissors I had their pieces already cut. If you would like to use any of the pieces, they are available for free from my TpT store or my TN store.

We also made the necklaces. They loved stringing the beads and straws. They were very proud of their hard work and loved showing them off!

Next week I am going to read 'There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books' to my sweeties. I made these color pages to go along with the theme. I will use these at table time to help me assess what colors my little ones know. If you would like your own copy click HERE. I have a couple of additional old lady items posted on my TpT and TN stores, if you are interested.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Usually this linky party is posted on Wednesday (hence the name) :) but this week it was moved to Thursday. This worked out well for me because it is my first official week back at school and it has been a little crAzy, to say the least! Here are a few things I am loving!

Tuesday was our meet the teacher night.

I found this idea on Pinterest and adapted it to work for my age group of sweeties. One of my co-workers set it up with me.

We set it ours up outside and had funny glasses, hat, mustaches, signs to hold, etc. Unfortunately, I was in the room most of the time so I didn't get to see the pictures being taken. We plan on taking more pictures when our little ones are at school.

One sweet mama sent me this picture she took from her phone. This little guy is AdorAble! I can't wait to have him in class. He is such a cutie patootie!

I am loving this picture! One of my girls who is returning this year brought it to me for our open house. I missed her this summer and am so excited to have her back with me. :)

I am LOVING my co-workers! When I got to school Wednesday morning I had these on my desk. Two of my favorite people brought me some of my favorite things~just because! How sweet are they? I am SO lucky to work with the BEST people in the world. They make it fun and rewarding to come to work.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Thanks to Kate from ECSE who keeps me up to date on all the linkys {I love that girl!}, I am participating in Blog Hoppin': Teacher Week 13~Let's Talk About Me Monday.
One of my favorite sayings is "What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger".
I currently teach a blended Early Childhood Special Education/Title 1 class. My sweeties range in age from 3 to 5 years of age. I have a morning class of younger students and an afternoon class of little ones who will go to kindergarten the following year. Without a doubt this is where my heart is! I have taught all the way to 7th grade, but I love the little ones. They crack me up! Their logic makes me happy. For instance, I had a little boy who got a cat (that happened to be black) when I asked him what he named his cat he looked at me like, "duh! His name is black kitty!" Why didn't I think of that?! I also was a parent educator in a program called Parents as Teachers. It began in Missouri, but other states also have the program. I would conduct home visit with parents who had children from birth to age five and take them developmental information.....what to expect at their child's age and things to do to help with their child's development. I loved that job, too. I think it really helped me become a better teacher. I was in many homes and saw where my students were coming from, the struggles parents had, and how that affected the whole child, especially at school. I missed the classroom though and jumped at the chance to teach at my current job. I am beginning my 5th year at my school. I love my kids AND I love the people I work with. After a particularly stressful day, they pick me up. I feel so much love from them. We would do anything for each other. You can't beat that with any job!

Personally, I was married 22 years before my marriage ended. It was painful, but it made me stronger. I have two beautiful children whom I am very proud of! They are 23 and 21. I can't believe how fast the time flew by. One day they were babies and the next they were grown and gone. I am currently in a relationship with a man I love very much. He is everything I ever wanted. He is funny, intelligent, kind, and very loving. Honestly, I didn't think people like him existed in real life. I feel very blessed.

I am one of eight children. When I was little I wanted to be an only child with a fancy canopy bed instead of having the pull out trundle bed underneath my sisters' bunk beds . However, as I have grown older I realize how fortunate I am to have the love and support of my siblings. My oldest brother passed away from cancer and my dad passed away right before that. It made me appreciate the importance of family. I love my family dearly.

My hobbies/interests include gardening, being creative, exercising, golfing, and hanging out with family and friends. That's about it for me!

Traci from The Bender Bunch is hosting a 'Show Us Your Day' linky party for teachers to post their daily schedules. I teach two different classes a day. My morning class usually consists of three and young four years olds who still have a year or two left before they go to kindergarten. My afternoon class is comprised of older fours and five year olds who will attend kindergarten the following year. My schedule is basically the same for both classes; however, the activities I do with each class can vary drastically (depending on the skill levels of each class),

After table time everyone uses the restroom and goes over to our circle time area. While they are waiting they look at books.

My circle time is pretty long, but I try to mix in lots of songs, games, and music and movement activities. We start with who is at school and a hello song. I use Jack Hartmann's "A Beautiful Day". After our hello song, I assign jobs. Then, it is time for the Pledge of Allegiance. After the Pledge, we do the calendar part (months of the year, days of the week, and the date). I use Jack Hartmann "Months of the Year Line Dance". My calendar helper uses a pointer and points to the months as they are being sung. The song is long so I only play about half. I also use Jack Hartmann's "Seven Days in a Week" the same way as the months of the year song. Weather is next. I use Dr. Jean's 'Weather Song". Music and Movement follows. I alternate days, either doing colors and alphabet activities or shapes and numbers/counting activities.

After circle time comes snack time. I tend to have some fast eaters, so while they are waiting for the others to finish the morning sweeties get a dry erase board and practice writing their name, draw shapes, write number or write letters. In the afternoon, everyone has a journal and practices the same type of skills. As the year progresses I require them to work on harder skills.

Center/free play time is next. This is the time I can pull individuals or small groups to take data and work on specific skills.

Recess follows center time.

After recess we come back to the room for our learning time. This usually consists of reading a story and doing a learning activity that goes along with our theme. Sometimes we work in an art project or a science experiment. :)

When learning time is over, it is time to pack up and go home. It amazes me how fast the day goes by.

Ok, now on to Monday Made It! I made center signs for my class. I put mine on the large birds from Creative Teaching Press.

I also got this idea from a previous Monday Made It, but tweaked it to use it on a bulletin board instead of the table. Here is the original post from First Grade Blue Skies.

Here is my bulletin board. {If you are a regular follower, I apologize for putting this in another post!

Because I did not cut around the thermostat exactly straight, I hid it with ribbon I already had.

I also made bus lists to use. Since I have morning and afternoon classes, I made two with different backgrounds so I can quickly grab the right one as we rush out the door!

I also redid one of the books of a song we sing quite a bit at circle time. It is from Jack Hartmann's Rhyming to Read CD. {Can you tell I love him?} If you would like a copy click HERE or on the picture!

About Me

I teach 3 to 5 year olds in a blended Title One/Special Education classroom. I am blessed to have a job that I absolutely love. My paraprofessional, Valerie, is amazing. Together, we have so much fun teaching our preschool wonders!